CMS Launches MAHA ELEVATE: $100 Million Grant Opportunity to Transform Healthy Aging Through Lifestyle Medicine
LeadingAge members have consistently pioneered new approaches to care for older adults—especially through programs promoting healthy living, functional well-being, and chronic care management. CMS Innovation Center has announced that applications are now being accepted for the “Making America Healthy Again: Enhancing Lifestyle and Evaluating Value‑based Approaches Through Evidence“ (MAHA ELEVATE), providing aging services providers with an opportunity to strengthen their leadership in this space. CMS will award up to 30 cooperative three-year agreements, totaling up to $100 million with a maximum grant of $3.3M per recipient, to organizations serving the traditional Medicare FFS population. All proposals must include nutrition or physical activity interventions. Three awards are specifically reserved for dementia-related initiatives. Here is an article with full details and links to the application and MAHA ELEVATE website where they can learn more.
NHSN Requesting Geolocation
LeadingAge has heard from members that the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) is now requesting providers to enter location information through a new geolocation feature. We contacted the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) / NHSN staff and confirmed that this request is legitimate. CDC has implemented a geolocation feature to help improve mapping of providers; they have confirmed that nursing homes’ ability to report data to comply with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requirements for reporting COVID-19 data and COVID and flu vaccination uptake among residents and staff will not be impacted.
Focus on Emergency Preparedness
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) featured emergency preparedness in the March 12 MLN Connects Newsletter. CMS noted an updated Health Care Provider Guidance page on the website where they remind providers of the five phases of comprehensive emergency planning and provide information on top trending citations in emergency preparedness. Providers are reminded to access the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response’s (ASPR’s) healthcare emergency preparedness information gateway ASPR TRACIE for resources, including Hazard Vulnerability Assessment tools, emergency operations criteria checklists, and more. LeadingAge members can also check out a new QuickCast on the LeadingAge Learning Hub: Are You Truly Storm Ready?
